Forza Motorsport 2: Under the Hood

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Everything you need to know about Microsoft's sim racer is revealed in this massive interview. Tuning and racing tips included!

By Hilary Goldstein

Dan Greenawalt loves Forza Motorsport 2. As game director for Turn 10's upcoming sim racer, it's only natural for Greenawalt to have a healthy attachment to his baby. But Greenawalt takes it up a notch, displaying a passion for his game that borders on obsession. In an industry where producers are media trained and often kept subdued by publicists, Greenawalt manages to show his enthusiasm openly.No more clearly is that passion shown than in Greenawalt's epic interview with IGN Xbox 360. Every aspect of Forza 2 is covered, from the number of cars to the benefits of tuning to the search for online unicorns (you read that right). Before starting the interview Greenawalt offered his personal take on Forza 2 and how he views the series. We begin with Greenawalt's soliloquy and then progress into a lengthy discussion on all aspects of Forza Motorsport 2.

Overview

Forza Motorsport is all about "car passion." Cars have a very powerful effect on people - all around the world and in all walks of life. Your first car is like your first love. You're always going to remember it. Whether it was an old beater or an economy hatch, people always keep a place in their heart for that first car. There is also that first car you really agonized about buying -- you saved up and did some research. Let's face it, cars can be an expensive investment and most people spend a lot of hours in them.

There are also the emotions that are created by the super-exotic sports cars like the Ferrari Enzo. Whether you feel righteous indignation about how much it costs, jealousy over its status or simply marvel at its beautiful design and incredible sound; seeing a car like that has an emotional impact. For motorsports enthusiasts, there is the fascination that comes with cutting-edge technology of purpose-built race cars. In order to capitalize on this diverse range of "car passion," we have to include a lot of cars: cars to invite people in, cars to aspire towards as well as cars to grow your passion. Cutting edge simulation physics, top-notch audio and photo-realistic graphics are a critical component of fueling "car passion" as well. Players need to feel/believe that their experiences in the game are as close as possible to what that car is like in the real world. This creates an interesting problem though: we want to ignite and fuel "car passion" in a very diverse group of people, but many/most of them are not dexterous sim-racing veterans. So, we put in very powerful and customizable assists to raise up the player, rather than dumbing down the physics. This means that the game is always ready to give you more depth, when/if you are ready for it. This is true not only of the physics of course, but virtually every other area of the game. The paint area, tuning options and upgrade system are crazy deep -- there is a ton to learn and master in there, if you're so inclined. Whenever the player is ready to go to the next level, the game always deep enough to accommodate.

Regions

IGN: At the start of a career, you choose from one of three regions. How much does your choice of region shape your progression through Forza?Dan Greenawalt: The regional rarity concept in the Forza Motorsport franchise was inspired largely by Pokémon. When you choose Asia, Europe or North America, the choice and consequences are similar to Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow. Therefore, different cars get unlocked later in the game and some cars are never unlocked at all based on your regional choice. Price is not initially affected by the regional choice, but as you progress through the career, all of the production cars in your home region become discounted by as much as 50%. Therefore, if you choose North America, you have instant access to the Corvette Z06 (though you won't initially have enough cash to buy it). The Skyline GTR and Porsche 911 Turbo will be locked to you and can't be purchased until deep into the career. By the time those cars can be purchased the Z06 will be 30%-40% cheaper.

IGN: The cost of cars changes based on region, but are there any other differences? Are the price or availability of parts changed?Greenawalt: Parts are always available. However, just like the driver can level up to unlock cars from other regions, regional car discounts, and events; the cars themselves can level up to unlock discounts on parts. Cars unlock part discounts for their own brand as well as other brands. It's a patchwork of unlocking. For example, leveling a Ferrari will unlock discounts on Bridgestone tires for all cars as well as discounts on Ferrari-only engine upgrades. Whereas a Mitsubishi may grant discount on Japanese only suspension parts. These two leveling structures were inspired by RPGs where both the player and his/her weapons gain levels.